Wire connecter



F. F. GATEKA WIRE CONNECTER April 3, 1934.

Filed April 17, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invenlor ,7 ia ai j afi /i'a 1/ fl llome y F. F. GATEKA WIRE CONNECTER April 3, 1934.

Filed April 17, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 k Inventor j/(y a faiefza M Q By fltlorney Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNETED STATES PATENT GFFI CE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to that class of inventions embodying electrical accessories and equipment, and has more particular reference to an improved wire-end connecting clamp susceptible of use in conjunction with high voltage electricity transmission conductors or wires.

In order to appreciate the utility, structural merit, and commercial possibilities of the connecter the following facts, well known to the experienced electrician, must be revealed. In the first place, the present type of connecters and clamps with which I am familiar are structurally diiierent to a noticeable degree, somewhat complicated and diflicult to handle, and are quite expensive and time-consuming for installation work.

Naturally, the electric transmission lines encountered for repair work on high supporting poles generally serve one or more towns or cities thus making it impractical to de-energize the line for this jointing work. Consequently, new connections and maintenance work on these conductors has to be done with tools fastened on the end of specially treated wooden sticks of from four to ten feet in length commonly referred to in the trade as hot stick tool.

The simple types of clamps now utilized for the work comprise companion clamping plates having registering bolt holes to accommodate a plurality of bolts and associated nuts, the opposed faces of the plates being grooved to allow the wire ends to be inserted and bolted in place. With these long range hot sticks tools, diiiiculty is encountered in spacing the plates apart suiiiciently to allow the wire-ends to be inserted and clamped in place. This is due to the fact that no means has heretofore been provided to hold the bolts against displacement while the work is being carried on.

The principal improvement which I have discovered consists in the provision of simple strap means which is associated with one of the plates and its complemental bolt to hold the bolts seated and against displacement so that this particular assembly becomes a single unit susceptible of easy handling with the aforesaid long range tool. Thus with a tool having a socket wrench it is possible to accomplish the desired result in a satisfactory and dependable manner while.at the same time materially reducing the hazards and expense ordinarily accompanying this task.

Other features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational View showing a conventional conductor line, pole, insulator assembly, and the improved wire-end connecter for jointing the sections of the line wire together for by-passing the current in the customary manner.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the special connecter constituting the novelty of the present invention.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional and elevational view of the connecter illustrating the improved details thereof. 7

Figure 4 is a transverse or vertical sectional and elevational View of the structure shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bolt retaining or holding strap constituting one of the 4 essential features of the improvement.

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the improved top plate.

Figure '7 is an end view of the plate shown in Figure 6.

General reference being had to Figure 1 illustrating certain old details, I call attention to the post or pole 8 the conventional insulator assembly 9, the line wires 10, the special coupling fiX- tures 11, and the current by-passing wire ends 12 detachably connectible to the improved clamp or connecter 13.

The improvement and novelty of course resides in the special construction of the part 13. As shown plainly in Figures 3 and 4, this comprises a pair of substantially duplicate companion clamping plates which may be distinguished as a top or cap plate 14 and a bottom or base plate 15. These plates are of general rectangular configuration and of electricity conducting material and have their opposed faces formed with spaced parallel grooves 16 (see Figure 6) which come together in registering relation to accommodate the wire-ends 12.

On one longitudinal edge the plate 15 is provided with an upstanding abutment flange 17 and on an opposite longitudinal edge the top plate 14 is provided with a depending abutment flange 18. These flanges co-operate with the respective longitudinal edge portions of the adjacent plate as shown in Figure 4 to insure proper registration of the grooves and bolt holes as well as secure maintenance of the plates after they are bolted together.

The bolts are distinguished by the numerals 19 and as shown in Figure 3 the cylindrical screwthreaded shanks 20 extend through correspondingly shaped bolt holes in the bottom plate 15. 110

The upper polygonal or square portions 21 are seated non-rotatably in square bolt holes 22 formed in the upper plate. The convex or disclike heads 23 bear against the upper face of the plate 14 as shown. The retaining nuts are merely distinguished by the numerals 24.

The principal improvement is predicated upon the formation of relatively shallow keeper notches 25 formed in the opposite end portions of the top plate 14. These are adapted to serve as keeper seats for the free ends or extremities 26 of the laterally bent end portions 2'7 of a bendable or malleable metal strap 28 which serves as a retainer or fastener for the bolt 19. The strap and notches are so located that the strap extends over the head 23 thus virtually fastening the bolt to the top plate 14 making a single unit of this assembly (plate 14, bolt 19, and bolt retaining strap 28). Consequently, even though a long range or hot stick tool is used the nut 24 can be manipulated by backing the nut off of the threaded bolt, allowing the plate 15 to drop down in spaced relation with respect to the plate 14 in order to provide the requisite space between the plates to permit the wire-ends to be inserted in the grooves, whereupon the nut may be again tightened and the wires thus securely fastened together.

The portions 21, co-operating with the square holes 22 in the top plate prevent rotation of the bolts and the strap 28 holds the bolts from being pushed out from the holes. It is this unitary feature which constitutes the primary novelty.

In fact, without it, the work is both time-consuming, hazardous, and expensive. Incidently it will be noticed that the strap ends 26 extend into the notches 25 in such a way that the opposed faces of the plates 14 and 15 may be brought into clamped or direct contact with each other if the clamping action so requires. In other words, the presence of the strap does not interfere with the tight clamping of the plate.

A careful consideration of the foregoing description in conjunction with the illustrative drawings will enable the reader to obtain a clear understanding of the purpose, features and ad vantages, the explicit construction, and the invention as hereinafter claimed.

It is to be understood that minor changes in shape, size, relative proportions, and materials may be resorted to in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the invention as now claimed.

I claim:

A wire connecter comprising bottom and top clamping plates arranged in superposed relationship and formed with registering bolt holes, bolts.

and nuts associated with said bolt holes to maintain the plates in assembled relationship, one of said plates being formed at its ends with keeper notches, a bolt retaining strap extending across the bolt heads and having its end portions bent into said notches for removably connecting said bolts to said notched plate.

FLOYD F. GATEKA. 

